The Entertainer
by pineapplefan
Summary: Two-Bit has seen some pretty terrible things in his lifetime. But he was always just an outsider looking in. He never imagined that he would be the next starring role. [Sequel to Night and Day.] Post-Book.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi everyone. As it says in the summary, this is a sequel to another story of mine, _Night and Day_. It takes place after the book and is centered around Two-Bit and his ability (or lack thereof) to cope with the deaths of Dally and Johnny. Just a heads up, I'm working on another story about _Stand By Me_ at the same time as this one so updates may be more spread out than they've been previously. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Two-Bit stood above two tiny tombstones, staring out into the graveyard before him. He'd been standing there for a while, among a few others who had come to grieve. But now he was alone, and he still hadn't looked down.

He was afraid that if he read the names and dates on those tombstones, it would feel too real. And he was still hanging onto the tiny shred of hope that this was all just a terrible dream.

It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the spring flowers were in full bloom. It wasn't too hot, it wasn't too cold. Birds were singing softly in the distance. But Two-Bit didn't pay any attention to that. He hadn't been paying attention to much of anything lately.

He let out a deep breath and looked over his shoulder. His mother was standing under a tree talking to Darry and Steve. Her boyfriend, Rick, stood beside her, arm wrapped around her waist. Sodapop and Ponyboy had taken a seat beside Darry's feet. Pony's head was turned into his brother's shoulder, and Soda was holding him tightly.

Two-Bit knew they were all waiting on him so he built up the courage to look down. His eyes overflowed with tears, but he could still read the fresh markings on the stones clearly. Flowers surrounded them.

The one on the left read: JOHNATHAN CADE: JAN. 14, 1951 - MAY 18, 1967. The one on the right read: DALLAS WINSTON: NOV. 3, 1949 – MAY 18, 1967. Two-Bit felt dizzy. That wasn't long enough. They didn't live long enough.

He squatted down beside them. He used the ground to steady himself with one hand and used the other to trace the markings on the stones with his thumb. He didn't want to say goodbye.

He heard footsteps quietly approach him from behind. "Keith, sweetheart, I think it's time we head back." He felt his mother's hand rest on the small of his back.

Two-Bit nodded. He was grateful for his mother. If it weren't for her, he would've stayed in that graveyard all day. His mother pulled him to his feet and wrapped her arms around him in a familiar hug. Ever since the deaths of his two good friends, his mother had been hugging him every chance she could get.

"Let's go home," she whispered gently in his ear, and together they headed to the car. Rick already had it started.

The Curtises and Steve followed Two-Bit and his mother to the parking lot. Darry's truck was parked beside Rick's.

"Two-Bit," Darry said softly as everyone started getting into their respective vehicles. Two-Bit swallowed hard. He hadn't breathed a single word to the gang all day. He'd hugged each and every one of them, but he hadn't spoken. He hadn't trusted himself to speak.

Two-Bit lifted his head to meet Darry's eyes.

"C'mere a minute," Darry said, pulling him to the rear of his truck so they'd be out of earshot. Darry looked so much more grown up in a suit. He squared his shoulders and looked Two-Bit over thoroughly. "Are you okay?"

Two-Bit imagined his face looked pretty stunned. "Am I okay?" he repeated hoarsely. Of course he wasn't okay. None of them were.

"You know what I mean," Darry said. "Are you taking care of yourself?"

So that's what he and his mother had been talking about. Two-Bit knew his mother was worried about him. She'd probably told Darry that he hadn't been eating. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to eat. It's just that none of it would stay down.

"Are you?" Two-Bit returned, as more tears leaked out of his eyes.

Darry bit down on his lip. He looked so tired and Two-Bit knew he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. Not since before Ponyboy and Johnny had disappeared to Windrixville. And especially not when Ponyboy got so sick the night of the rumble. He got sick and it was all Two-Bit's fault…

"I'm doing the best I can," Darry answered finally.

"So am I."

His best just wasn't good enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Dinnertime had become the biggest struggle of Two-Bit's day. It was the only meal where everyone sat down together, and they could plainly see how much (or how little) he ate. Tonight it was stew, and Two-Bit could only stare at it.

"Keith, take just a few more bites. Please," his mother begged. She, Rick, and his sister, Liz, were all watching him as if seeing him eat would be the most spectacular thing in the world. He felt like he was an animal in a zoo.

"I can't, Mom," Two-Bit protested. He'd already pushed himself too far. He was doing everything in his power just to hold down the first five bites.

"Two-Bit…" Liz whined from beside him. Her eyes were filled with concern.

He sighed and reluctantly picked up his fork. The last thing he wanted to do was scare his little sister. _Just three more bites_, he told himself. _Three more. Three._

Three. That's how many bullets were fired that night. That's all it took to take down the toughest greaser in Tulsa. Three tiny, measly bullets.

It didn't matter what Two-Bit was doing or how hard he tried to avoid it. His mind always went back to the image of Dally crumpling under the streetlight, or Johnny passing out cold in the hospital bed, or Ponyboy fainting at the scene. He couldn't make the images stop.

The bite of stew that Two-Bit had in his mouth turned tasteless and his saliva started getting thick. _No,_ he thought desperately. _Why does this keep happening?_

He dropped his fork on the table with a loud clatter and sprinted into the bathroom, ignoring the panicked looks he was getting from his family. He slammed the door shut behind him before he dropped down in front of the toilet.

Two-Bit hated that he couldn't eat. It wasn't like him – he loved food. But lately he'd lost all interest in the idea. He was certainly starting to like it a whole lot less now that he couldn't stomach it.

When he was done expelling the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl, he pushed himself back against the wall, exhausted. If it were up to him he'd stay in the bathroom all night. That way he wouldn't have to face his family.

But no such luck. Rick knocked on the door just moments later.

"Come in," Two-Bit sighed.

Rick opened the door and then closed it behind him. He was holding a glass of water in his hand. He took a seat on the edge of the bathtub and held the glass out to Two-Bit.

"You're giving your mom quite a fright, kid," he said softly as Two-Bit took the glass from him. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but it's what he was expecting.

"Sorry," Two-Bit mumbled, before bringing the glass up to his dry lips. And he was. He hated that he was scaring his family. He was scaring himself to be honest.

Rick slipped down off the edge of the tub so he was sitting beside Two-Bit on the floor. "Remember when Dallas was staying with us? And you kept trying to get him to eat?"

Two-Bit nodded.

"Well, we're gonna do the same with you, kid. You have to keep trying. You know that, don't you?"

Two-Bit wasn't listening. He was remembering those five long weeks that Dally had spent with them. How worried he'd been. How close he and Dal had become…

Two-Bit heard Rick swear under his breath. "Come on, kid, don't get worked up," he said gently. He put his arm around Two-Bit's shoulder and pulled him close. "I'm sorry I brought him up."

That's when Two-Bit realized his eyes were leaking again. He could feel hot tears on his cheeks. He shrugged away from Rick and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm fine," he said hoarsely as he started to stand up. He needed to get out of there. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk." He set the glass down on the sink.

"Good idea," Rick said, standing up with him.

"Alone," Two-Bit added, before slipping out the bathroom door, careful to keep his head down. He didn't want to see the rejected look on Rick's face.

As Two-Bit put on his jacket and shoes, his mother tearfully inquired where he was going.

"For a walk," Two-Bit answered shortly.

"You most certainly are not," Mrs. Mathews insisted. She even rose from the couch to block the front door.

"Marie, let him go," Rick said wisely, pulling her away from the door and wrapping his arms around her. He met Two-Bit's eyes. "Be safe."

Two-Bit nodded curtly and then beat it out of there.

He'd been doing this a lot. Going for walks. It was hard spending time with his family. They were always so careful around him. Like they were walking on eggshells. He couldn't stand it.

He also avoided the gang. Or what was left of it, anyway. Ponyboy was still recovering after being bed-ridden for nearly a week, and Two-Bit still felt guilty whenever he was around him. Ponyboy tried to assure him that it wasn't his fault, but he knew it was. He was Two-Bit's responsibility that day, and he blew it. If he had just told Darry that Pony was sick, he never would've been in that damn rumble.

It wasn't just guilt that kept Two-Bit away. He couldn't stand being around the rest of the gang. Not when he knew it wasn't complete. And worse, knowing that it never would be again.

Two-Bit finally made it to his destination: the park. He took a seat on a bench facing that blasted fountain. He was awfully tired.

He didn't know why he always ended up here. So much had happened in this park. And lately, Two-Bit could only focus on the bad. The near drowning of Ponyboy, the stabbing of the Soc, that damn rumble that hadn't solved a single thing…

But the truth was, a lot of good things had happened in this park too. Spontaneous football games, more hookups than he could count… and a little under a month ago, Rick had asked Two-Bit, right there on that very park bench, for his blessing to propose to his mom. Something Two-Bit had been wishing for since he met the guy.

But that proposal hadn't come yet. And Two-Bit had a feeling that was his fault too.

So he was in some sort of limbo. He just didn't know what to make of the park anymore.

The sun started to set, and he decided to watch it, mostly because he just wasn't ready to head back. He tried to appreciate the blend of red, orange, pink and yellow that swirled in front of his eyes, but the hollowness he felt in his gut made him feel like the Universe was mocking him. In fact, Two-Bit was relieved when that last bit of sun disappeared over the horizon.

Lately, he was much more fond of the dark.


End file.
